Charlie Kirk Shooting: FBI Shares Suspect Photo & Offers $150,000 Reward

The FBI has released images of a person of interest in the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and is offering a USD $100,000 (approximately AUD $150k) reward for information leading to their arrest.

Investigators say they have obtained video footage they describe as “good,” and are calling on the public to come forward. Law enforcement agencies including the Utah Department of Public Safety, local police, and federal partners are treating the case as an active manhunt.

Authorities report that the suspect is believed to be male and roughly of college age. Two individuals were detained after the shooting, but were later released after questioning.

We are seeking the public’s help in identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
1-800-CALL-FBI
Digital media tips: https://t.co/8x77cwCBnr pic.twitter.com/5y2QgXwwlG

— Utah Public Safety (@UtahDPS) September 11, 2025

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said authorities are sharing the footage and images of the suspect to “get as much attention as possible so that we can get help from the public in tracking down this evil human being”, and said officials will “pursue the death penalty” once the suspect is found.

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while giving a speech at Utah Valley University during what was billed as his “American Comeback Tour.”

A high-powered bolt-action .30-06 caliber Mauser hunting rifle was recovered in a wooded area near the scene, according to law enforcement sources. Investigators have collected forensic evidence, and authorities are considering escape surveillance video, the photos, and tips from the public as leads in the continuing investigation.

Unconfirmed reports of ammunition engraved with ‘transgender’ messaging

Early internal law enforcement bulletins have been reported as saying the suspected ammunition had inscriptions with transgender and antifascist messages. [EDITOR NOTE, 13/9: It has now been confirmed to be false that messages on the ammunition contained any reference to the trans community.]

The Wall Street Journal reported that the bullets, found with the weapon used to shoot Kirk, were engraved with “expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology.”

However, a New York Times source — a “senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation” — said this had not been verified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and that this information did not line up with other summaries of evidence.

Officials have cautioned these reports are preliminary and have not been publicly confirmed, and forensic analysis of the ammunition and the engravings is ongoing. Law enforcement sources say that the inscriptions may be subject to misinterpretation, and that the origin of the rifle and how it came to be engraved are under investigation.

From this information, right-wing accounts are already speculating that the shooter is transgender. This includes Megyn Kelly and Alex Jones, the latter of which has been found guilty of libel for airing misinformation and conspiracy theories regarding the Sandy Hook shooting, and was ordered to pay USD $965 million in damages to the families of eight Sandy Hook victims.

There is no confirmation that the shooter is transgender, and no evidence of the shooter’s gender whatsoever at this time.

Donald Trump Jr.’s comments on transgender people & violence

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death and the reports about engraved ammunition, Donald Trump Jr. has claimed that trans people are more dangerous than terrorist organisations.

Trump Jr. made the comment on The Megyn Kelly Show in the wake of Kirk’s death.

“I can’t name, including probably like al Qaeda and the Taliban, a group that is more violent per capita than the radical trans moment,” Trump Jr. said.

He also said there may be more “mass killings” that the public are not aware of “because you’re not allowed to talk about the truth.”

“I’m sure people are totally sane after jacking themselves up on hormones given to them by some rainbow hair freak doctor because they think men can somehow magically become women,” he said, in a sarcastic tone.

In reality, the Rockefeller Institute of Government cites that 95% of the perpetrators in mass shootings were male, and the vast majority of these have been cisgender men.

Trump Jr. also falsely claimed that violence and hate speech are coming exclusively from left-wing people.

What we know so far about the Charlie Kirk shooting

Charlie Kirk was shot at approximately midday while speaking under a tent at Utah Valley University. The shooting took place in an outdoor courtyard space, part of his American Comeback Tour event.

Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings when he was struck.

A member of the audience asked, “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kirk replied, “Too many”.

Kirk was then asked, “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk responded, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Seconds later, a single gunshot rang out, which struck him in the neck.

Authorities say the shot was fired from a nearby rooftop. The recovered rifle, wrapped in a towel, was found in a wooded area not far from the venue. At the time of its recovery, the weapon had one spent cartridge in the chamber and several unspent rounds.

Two persons were initially taken into custody in relation to the shooting. One of them was described as a “person of interest,” but both were later released after law enforcement said they were cleared of connection to the shooting.

Authorities are attempting to use facial recognition technology though with no confirmed matches. Forensic teams are analysing physical evidence such as shoe prints, palm prints, and forearm imprints.

The investigation remains active. Officials have stated that they believe it was a targeted attack, but motive has not been established. Governor Cox described the killing as an assassination.